This is War
by awesome736
Summary: Equestria has always been peaceful. But when a new enemy shows up, wanting Celestia's throne, war breaks out, and it may be the hardest thing the Applejack and Applebloom have ever experienced. They must choose to go against enemy or friends, or life against love.
1. PROLOGUE

**Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there lived three princesses. The youngest princess brought about the beautiful, starry night to the land. The middle princess brought the bright, sunny day to the land. And the eldest princess brought the wind and plant-life to the land, also bringing the inhabitants the ocean. **

**Together, these princesses brought balance to the land. But it was not always like that.**

**The youngest sister grew jealous, and circumstances forced the middle sister to banish her to the moon. The eldest sister took pride in her younger sister for standing up and facing what she hated doing. But soon she became furious.**

**The eldest, who was destined for the throne, grew resentful. The ponies of Equestria had rejoiced in her sister's saving them, and had the middle sister take the throne instead. They completely forgot about the eldest sister, and she was but a shadow of her sister.**

**She travelled to the Everfree forest, sitting alone, going over her troubles. Nobody knows quite what happened while she was there, but she exited with many, many followers. She raged a war on her sister, confronting her in the midst of battle and demanding her rightful crown. **

**The two battled on and on, and when it was looking bleak for the younger princess, she retrieved the Elements of Harmony, and fought her older sister again, this time winning.**

**For her ignorance, she was banished to the Everfree forest with all of her followers, never to resurface.**

**However, some say she's lurking in the shadows, gaining power, getting ready for her return. And when she's ready, terrible war will rage over the land, until she has the royal crown upon her head.**


	2. Chapter 1

Applejack blinked open her eye as her younger sister, Applebloom, cuddled against her sister's warm body. Applejack smiled. Her sister must have had a nightmare and crawled in with Applejack.

Picking up her head, she looked out the window to her bedroom, out to Sweet Apple Acres, her home, her getaway, her family. It looked like Big Mactintosh had gone up to his chores and left her to catch a few more winks before her trip.

Princess Celestia and Luna had invited Twilight and her friends to Canterlot to join a banquet where Celestia and Luna brought the sun and the moon together into an eclipse. It was always celebrated because it was thought to represent the two alicorns being one, but also being two.

They had permitted the ponies to bring a guest each. Twilight was bringing Spike, Rainbow Dash was bringing Scootaloo (Rainbow had considered inviting Derpy, but had decided against it), nobody knew who Fluttershy was bringing, Pinkie Pie was taking Gummy, Rarity was taking Sweetie Bell, and Applejack was taking Applebloom.

However, Applejack was reconsidering her choice, because Applebloom had begun to have strange nightmares. Some where she'd jerk awake and crawl in with a family member, others where she'd cry, jerk around in her sleep, and scream until she was woken up. But Applejack knew how disappointed her little sister would be if she couldn't go. The filly had been looking forward to the day since she was invited, packing everything she needed, and even helping with Applejack's things. Her heart would be broken if she couldn't go.

Applejack found her eyes resting on her sister. Applebloom had a little bed-head, but her mane wasn't in her normal style, and now it was wavy and soft. Her fur seemed like the sun itself as light poured into the room, as well as smooth as butter. Applejack smiled. Her sister looked so cute, so peaceful, so serene. But now was not the time for serenity.

Careful not to wake Applebloom, Applejack slunk from her bedroom, snatching her hat on the way out, and headed out to get ready for the morning.

0o0o0

"Well, look who's up and ready for her big day!"

Granny Smith was beaming at Applejack like nobody's business. In fact it scared her a bit.

"Hey, Granny Smith," AJ greeted. "Sorry I slept so late. I guess Big Mac forgot about me."

"Oh, no, dear. He and I wanted you to sleep some before ya'll got on down to Canterlot. Now, where's Applebloom?"

"Still asleep. She crawled in with me last night." Applejack took a swig of the apple cider Granny Smith had prepared. The sweet-yet-sour, creamy taste spilled over her tongue, and she heard herself moan in satisfaction. Granny Smith didn't seem to hear.

"Who did?"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Applebloom."

"Oh, she did now? Where is she, anywho?"

"Never mind. I'm gonna go complete m'chores before Applebloom and I have to leave." And AJ left before her family member could babble anymore.

As she trotted outside, her eyes rested on her older brother, Big Macintosh. His red pelt glowed like an ember in the sunlight, and his mane resembled fire as it moved about from the wind and movement.

"Hey, Big Mac!" Applejack greeted warmly as she trotted up. "Thanks for letting me catch some winks today. I owe you a heap."

Big Mac smiled at her, and responded with his usual, "eeyup" before returning to his chores. Applejack narrowed her eyes. He was worried about their little sister, too. Whenever she tried to crawl into his bed unnoticed after a nightmare, he had always woken up, and she had spent the night being cradled in his hooves. When she screamed and jerked around at night, Big Mac was usually the first one there. Boy, did he love that little filly.

Applejack tipped her hat up a bit, stole a final, worried glance at her older brother, and trotted off to her own chores.

0o0o0

In Equestria, it's always bright, happy, sunny, and more. Always a great place to be. Unless you decide to head down to the Everfree forest.

At this time, darkness was scattered about. Trees seemed to lunge at you, wanting you for their next meal, but when you look at it, you see it's just an ordinary tree.

Creatures lurked here and there, ready to gobble you up in their ravenous fangs. Yes, the Everfree forest is everypony's nightmare.

But, tonight, two hooded figures seemed quite alright with it. One was a unicorn by the looks of it, the other was either an Earth Pony or a Pegasus, but if it had wings it was hidden by its cape.

The two figures came together in a small clearing.

"She wants to attack soon," the unicorn stated.

"How soon?" The other asked.

"As soon as possible."

"But it's too risky. Celestia and Luna will be together tomorrow, and it will be as crowded as ever."

"Then what better way to attack? We can make a little speech, gain followers, and then leave."

"Can't we just ditch it all and make a life here?"

"Her majesty won't rest until her crown is back."

The Earth Pony scoffed. "But I have a family to take care of. If she's wanting to do this, she must be ready to fight to the death."

Silence.

"I'll have to ask her about that. Thank you for your time, Black Tears."

"My pleasure, miss."

And with that, the two faded off into the night.


	3. Chapter 2

From the window of the train car, Applejack could see Ponyville slowly turning into a speck as the train sped off to Canterlot. Applebloom was off with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, and Applejack was alone in the little car.

Tearing her gaze from Ponyville, she gazed around her home-away-from-home for the next day or two. The room had been specially designed for the Apple family, regards of the Princesses. The curtains draped around the windows were red, exactly like the color of shiny, red-delicious apples. There was a bunk-bed, Applebloom went at the top, AJ at the bottom. The bedspread was the color of a sunset, just the right hint of orange. It was dotted with pictures of little apples, all of different colors. The floor was wood, but the walls were snowy white, with at least two widows on each side of the wall. There was a single bathroom, complete with shower, bathtub, toilet, sink, and even shampoo, conditioner, soap, and _Mane and Tail._

There were two dressers, one for AJ and the other for little Bloom. They hadn't bothered to put their things in the drawers. After all, they'd be leaving the train in a couple of days. AJ hung up her hat on her bedpost and sprawled out upon her bed. With a sigh of relaxation, she rolled onto her back. The mattress was very soft and comfy, much better than her bed at home.

Suddenly a pang of worry twisted Applejack's mind. Would Applebloom be crawling in with her sister tonight? Would she scream and cry and jerk around until Applejack shook her awake? Would there be any nightmares tonight? Applejack wasn't sure.

"_INCOMING!"_

Applejack was jerked from her reverie when her door flew open, and a sky-blue-blur sped by and crashed into the little table that held Applejack's suitcases.

"What in tarnation?" Applejack cried, her fur sticking up on end. However, she began to relax when she saw her friend, Rainbow Dash, sprawled upon the floor, covered in Applebloom and Applejack's formal clothing.

Rainbow Dash smiled quite awkwardly. "Uh, sorry."

Applejack glared sown at her. "I swear, Rainbow, if you've ripped any of that, you're taking it to Rarity herself."

"Relax, it's all intact!" As the blue Pegasus got up, a part of Applebloom's dress got caught in her hooves.

In a loud _RRIIIP,_ there was a large, jagged tear in the flank area of Applebloom's outfit.

"… Oops." Rainbow chuckled nervously when she saw her friend's face.

Applejack looked like a red delicious as she seethed in anger. "DANGIT, RAINBOW! That dress took Rarity AGES! And Bloom will be especially upset about _where_ you ripped it!"

"Well I'm sorry!" Rainbow Dash wailed. "I was practicing my flight techniques, and it got a little outta hand."

"But now she'll be depressed about bein' a-" Applejack looked around, and then whispered the next few words, "-Blank Flank."

"Oh, take a chill-pill, AJ," Rainbow Dash said, kicking off the dress and outstretching her wings, "Rarity will fix it in a jiffy."

"Still, you shouldn't go crashing 'round and ruinin' others' clothes."

Rainbow Dash pouted. "I'm sorry, Applejack," she apologized. "The Wonderbolts will be at the banquet… And I thought…"

Applejack rolled her eyes. The Wonderbolts were Rainbow's obsession. They were the best fliers in all of Equestria, and it was Rainbow Dash's dream to be one of them.

"I suppose," Applejack continued, "I'll forgive you. But you need to face the wrath of Rarity."

"Oh, horseapples… Oh, by the way, everyone's on board. They want to see you."

"What about Applebloom?"

"She and the crusaders are out on a little adventure or something. C'mon, Pinky didn't bring her party cannon this time."

_She didn't bring the cannon? That's a first, _Applejack thought, as she trotted after her friend.

0o0o0

"Hi, AJ!" Twilight Sparkle greeted with a grin. "You're just in time, Pinkie made cake!"

Applejack walked into the dining car, and joined her friends, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity. Pinkie Pie was holding up a cake that was decked out in frosting-pictures that Applejack couldn't quite identify.

"I decided to make it for EVERYONE!" Pinkie Pie said proudly as she set the thing upon the table. "I did it for TWO things! One reason is because we've saved Equestria THREE TIMES-" at this point, she looked sympathetically at Applejack. "- and I heard Applebloom had been having some nightmares, so I wanted to cheer her up a bit."

Applejack smiled. "That's mighty kind of you, Pinkie. I really appreciate it."

"Applebloom's been having nightmares?" Twilight asked. "What about?"

"Not sure," Applejack sighed. "She's never really told us about them. We were thinking 'bout asking, but Granny Smith didn't want to hear it."

"Oh, I see."

There were a few seconds of Silence before Pinkie brought the mood up.

"Well," she said, "I designed the cake myself!" She grinned from ear-to-ear.

The cake was layered up like a tower, and Applejack knew it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. Pictures of Celestia, Luna, old enemies, new friends, the Crusaders, the Elements of Harmony, everything, dotted the cake in such detail, that it almost seemed real.

Twilight observed the cake in awe. "Oh, Pinkie, is that Trixie?"

"And Discord?" Rarity chimed in.

"And Nightmare Moon?"

"And even Queen Chrysalis!" Pinkie finished. "I tell you, it took me MONTHS."

"Oh, Pinkie," Twilight cooed. "It even has Cadence and Shining Armor on it!"

"And Big Macintosh!" Applejack exclaimed. "And Granny Smith, and Applebloom, and me!"

But at the very top of the cake were the words _Adventures don't last forever, but our friendship and minds will keep them in our hearts!_

"Oh, Pinkie," Rarity sighed dreamily. "It's beautiful."

"What's beautiful?"

Everyone turned to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom, enter the room. Sweetie Bell was Rarity's younger sister, Scootaloo was Rainbow's 'biggest fan' and almost-younger-sister, and we all know who Applebloom was.

Applejack smiled. "Hey, ya'll," she greeted. "Pinkie made cake for everyone."

"Wow, really?" Applebloom's eyes widened, in happiness. "Let me see, Applejack!"

The adult ponies made way for the little fillies.

"Oh, WOW!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "This is the best cake I've ever SEEN!"

"This must have taken you HOURS, Pinkie!" Scootaloo cheered.

Pinkie grinned. "What do you think, Applebloom?"

Applebloom was totally silent. She looked almost petrified as she stared at the cake.

"Aw, look at that! She's speechless with joy!"

Applejack wasn't so sure. "Applebloom?" She asked, gently touching her sister with the tip of her hoof.

Applebloom totally lost it. She stumbled back against the wall and began to scream and cry hysterically, jerking around as if it were one of her nightmares.

"**Applebloom**!" Applejack screeched.

"THEY'RE COMING BACK!" Applebloom sobbed. "THEY'RE COMING BACK TO DESTROY US ALL!"

In a heartbeat, Applebloom was being held tightly to Applejack's chest. The rest of the Crusaders watched in horror, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow quickly took the cake out of the room, Rarity ushered the Crusaders out of the room, and returned to help Applejack and Twilight, and Applebloom screamed and screamed.


	4. Chapter 3

There were considerably large amounts of nightmares that night. Applebloom was terrified, and whenever she managed to drift off, about two minutes later, she'd scream and cry until Applejack shook her awake. It was quite a night for the Apple sisters.

But even though Applejack wanted to sleep, very badly at that, she stayed up and watched over her sister. However, even then, Applebloom did not speak a word about her nightmares.

However, after hours of nightmares and tears, and bags, Applebloom drifted off into a dreamless sleep, and Applejack was allowed a few hours to sleep. When she opened her eyes, she wanted to sleep more. Oh, how she wanted to sleep…

But, yet, Applejack groggily got up, slipped her hat on, stole a final glance at her sister, and left to go have breakfast.

0o0o0

"Hey, girls," Applejack greeted, with no enthusiasm. "How're ya'll doing?"

Everyone else looked just as bad as Applejack. Except Fluttershy, for whatever reason.

"Oh, I am so tired," Rarity whined. "Applebloom kept us up all night."

"You're telling me," Applejack yawned. Going over to a little stand that held the breakfast items, she got herself a cup of coffee and took a huge swig of it.

Pinkie Pie was drawn immediately to the brown liquid. "IS THAT CHOCOLATE?" The groggy pony asked.

"No, Pink," Applejack said, perking up a bit. "This is coffee. It helps wake you up a bit in the morning."

"IT LOOKS LIKE CHOCOLATE. I LOVE CHOCOLATE. CAN I HAVE SOME?"

"Are you sure-"

"GIVE IT TO ME!" Pinkie Pie grabbed the whole pitcher of coffee and drank it down.

A few heartbeats after she did, she got this weird look on her face.

"Pinkie?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie flapped her forearms like they were wings in a very fast motion that lifted her from the ground for a few seconds. And then she sang one of the strangest songs the friends had ever heard.

_COFFEE, COFFEE, COFFEE_

_HAVE IT WITH SOME TOFFEE_

_THEN WHEN YOU DRINK IT UP_

_IT WILL ALWAYS WAKE YOU UP_

_COFFEE, COFFEE, COFFEE_

_IT MAKES ME REALLY SILLY!_

_COFFEE, COFFEE, COFFEE_

_OH MY GOSH_

_IT'S SO AWESOME_

_WHY AM I EVEN SINGING THIS SONG?_

And Pinkie Pie bounced around the room a few times, and with each hop, her song got louder.

COFFEE, COFFEE, COFFEE,

DERPY REALLY HATES IT

AND SHE SAID IT'S REALLY BAD

BUT I REALLY LOVE IT

SHE MAY BE KIND OF MAD

COFFEE

HAVE IT WITH TOFFEE

COFFEE, COFFEE

SO HOT AND TASTY

COFFEE, COFFEE, COFFEE!

Before she could sing anymore, the ponies ushered her into her room to get the songs from her system.

When they got back, they turned their attention back to the situation at hand: Applebloom's nightmares.

"I dunno, girls," Applejack sighed. "I'm thinking 'bout sending her back home. I don't think she'll do well here."

"Oh c'mon, AJ," Rainbow Dash said. "It's only for a couple a days. And maybe she'll encounter something that'll ruffle her mane once or twice, but she'll be back home before you can say 'Apple Fritters'!"

"I guess," AJ said.

"Oh, C'mon, Applejack," Rarity soothed, "if a thing happens, we'll be here for both her and you."

"And that's a promise!" Twilight grinned.

"RIGHT!" The ponies said in unison.

"You can send her back if you want," Fluttershy cooed. "But she'd be very upset, and that's not the thing for her at the moment. Unless, uh, you disagree."

Applejack smiled gratefully. That was the thing about friends, they always convinced you to what they feel and what you feel is the right thing to do. But in this case, they were all dead wrong.

0o0o0

The night before, while the nightmares of Applebloom were going on in the train, in Canterlot, everypony had fallen asleep, snug in their beds, dreaming without a care in the world, ready for the Royal Eclipse Celebration.

However, one paticular pony had not fallen asleep yet.

A hooded unicorn, mostly blue by the looks of her horn, trotted silently through Canterlot. The cloak she wore was like that of a mist at the ends, but if you went farther up the cloak it was pure fabric.

As the unicorn walked, something caught her eye. A poster with a headline that screamed:

PRINCESS CLESTIA AND LUNA BRING ABOUT THE ECLIPSE CELEBRATION

BE THERE SOON!

The unicorn narrowed her eyes, stalking towards the poster. Using her magic, her ripped the poster from the wall, reading it carefully.

"Princess Celestia and Luna, eh?" She scoffed. Suddenly, she tossed the paper into the air, and shot a ball of magic at it.

The paper burst into blue flames, and fell smoldering at the unicorn's hooves.

She smirked. "I should think they made a mistake in their typing. IT should say, 'Queen Aquarius will bring about a new reign of alicorns forever.'"


	5. Chapter 4

"Welcome to Canterlot, everyone! So good to see you all again!"

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia had been waiting for the six friends and their guests at the train station. Applejack was trotting side-by-side with Applebloom, who had seemed to improve a bit from her nightly ordeal.

Pinkie Pie was back to her usual confetti-sneezing self, thank Celestia.

Twilight grinned from ear-to-ear at her mentor. "Princess Celestia," she greeted. "We all brought some people you really need to meet."

Almost on cue, the Cutie Mark Crusaders lined up and smiled at the princesses. "Cutie Mark Crusaders ready to go!" They said in unison.

Princess Celestia laughed. "Hello, you three," she greeted.

"Hello, young fillies," Princess Luna greeted warmly. "I hope you enjoy your time in our fine city."

Scootaloo, who was bad with manners, was studying Luna's mane. It had become much like that of her sister's, and she had grown to be almost as large as Celestia herself.

"How do you even brush your mane?" She questioned.

Luna's eyes shrunk to the size of mustard seeds. Sweetie Belle gave Scootaloo a smack in the shoulder.

"Excuse Scootaloo," she said politely. "She's socially awkward."

Luna just nodded her head. "Uh, yes, anyway," she stammered. "Let us get back to the castle. Your rooms have been prepared."

As they all left, Applejack noticed the little fillies had grown a bit, too. Scootaloo's wings had become larger, and she now was able to fly a bit. Sweetie Belle has grown taller, as did her horn.

Applebloom had grown taller, slimmer, more muscular and lithe. The three were at that age where they would soon get their cutie marks.

Applejack smiled. Her sister was growing up.

0o0o0

"And here is your room, Twilight!" Celestia declared. "I had your own mini-library installed, since a bit of construction is going on in your old room."

Twilight beamed. A _mini _library? The place was **huge**, packed with books wherever you looked. There was no possible way Twilight could read them all in the couple of days she would stay.

"Oh, thank you, Princess!" She sighed. "It's wonderful!"

"Glad you like it. Be down in the dining hall in time for lunch!"

The door shut, and the Sun princess was gone.

Twilight squealed. She had to start reading!

In the next few hours, Twilight had piled down 3 large books.

_I have an hour before lunch_, she thought. _I'll just read one more_.

She dashed in front of a bookshelf, scanning it for the book that might, just might, send her heart skipping a beat.

Then she saw it. It was the only book she did not own in the collection.

_The sixth volume of Hoof-Tastic Spell Jokes_!

"Oh… My dear Celestia… THIS IS THE **BEST** DAY EVERRR!"

She grabbed the book in her hooves, and attempted to yank it out.

However, with a click, it didn't budge any further.

Before Twilight could react, the whole bookshelf sank into the ground, revealing a narrow tunnel.

Twilight was very confused. Perhaps she should flag down an attendant, or the princess…

Oh, whatever, she thought. She'd look at it herself and then tell the princess about it.

And with that, she began the long walk into the tunnel.

0o0o0

The whole tunnel seemed to spiral downward as Twilight made her way down. It seemed to get darker and darker the lower down you went. Eventually, Twilight could see nothing. But she used a light spell to light the way.

As she got farther down, a blue-ish light began to illuminate the cavern. When the ground became flat, Twilight dashed to the exit, which was spewing blue light.

At that moment, she tripped. Falling flat on her face. Not a very happy Twilight.

But when she saw what she had tripped over she became curious. It was an old, wooden chest with old wood and rusty hinges.

But even with these traits, the thing seemed perfectly intact. Again, curiosity got the best of the purple unicorn, and she opened the chest slightly.

Inside was a tattered, burned, old leather book, entitled, _The Story of the Three Sisters, a true story of Celestia's past_.

Twilight sung open the trunk, levitating the book with her magic and staring at it.

_Why would an old, tattered book about Celestia be down here?_

Cautiously, Twilight opened the book, and slowly began to read.

As she read, she began to get more serious. Her face changed from serious to a look of pure horror and surprise.

She suddenly dropped the book.

"CELESTIA HAS AN OLDER **SISTER**?"


	6. Chapter 5

"Ow! It's a mite too tight on me, Rarity!"

"Oh, quite fussing, Applebloom, It'll feel better when it's finished."

Applejack watched as Rarity fitted her sister with her newly-repaired dress for that evening. The evening of the Royal Eclipse Celebration was finally here. Almost all ponies of Equestria had come from near and far, just to watch the two sisters becoming one.

Rarity already had her dress on. It was ruffley and breezy, stretching about a foot behind her. She had a fake blue rose tucked behind her ear, and her hair had been curled into a beautiful fashion.

Applebloom's dress was in a breezy sort of fashion as well, and Rarity had constructed shoes to go with the outfit. The shoes traveled up Applebloom's leg, stopping in a pointed fashion at the knee, and was made purely of glass. Luckily it was constructed so that it wouldn't hurt Applebloom.

The dress was long, but as it went further down it became a clear fabric. It was sort of a pinkish-red, about the color of Applebloom's mane, but a bit brighter, and dotted here and there with rubies.

The bottom of her mane was tied down with a ribbon, not her usual one, but a shiny, red one that glimmered like fire.

Applebloom looked beautiful, more than Applejack had seen in a while. In Applejack's eyes, Applebloom looked like she could be a princess. A princess of apples, maybe.

"There!" Rarity exclaimed, finishing up. Now let me add your little crown and… Voila!"

Rarity added the little crown that was dotted with apples to Applebloom's curled hair, and spun the filly around to look in the mirror.

Applebloom gazed at herself in awe. "Wow!" She exclaimed, getting a huge grin on her face. "I could be like a princess or something?" Turning to her older sister, she asked, "What do you think, Applejack?"

Applejack smiled. "I agree!"

Rarity smiled. "I'll meet you two there," she stated. "I need to get some makeup on."

"Okay. Thank you kindly, Rarity. C'mon, Bloom."

**0o0o0**

As the two sisters walked side-by-side through the corridors, Applejack stole a worried glance over at Applebloom. She wondered what these terrible nightmares of the filly's were.

Unfortunately for Applejack, Applebloom saw her.

"Is there something wrong, sis?" she asked worriedly.

Applejack sighed. "Yeah, Bloom," she said. "I need to talk to you about your nightmares."

Almost at once Applebloom stopped and let her eyes widen with horror.

"Do you think you could tell me what happens in them?"

"NO!" Applebloom yelled with such fright it even scared Applejack a bit.

"But Bloom, I can help you if you just tell me."

"No, Applejack! I don't even want to think about them anymore! "

Applejack sighed. "Alright," she said. "But if there is a nightmare, or anything related to them, you need to tell me about it. And if you do, I'll do somethin' real special for you."

Applebloom smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Applejack."

"No problem, Bloom. Now, let's go to that party! I'm dying to try the devilled eggs!"

**0o0o0**

Twilight shuffled in place as she rolled the situation around in her head.

"Ohmigosh, ohmigosh," she said to no one in paticular. "Do I tell someone? No they'd probably tell everyone. Do I tell Celestia? No, she'd be mad. Do I tell Luna-"

"Hi, Twilight!"

"OH MY SWEET CELESTIA- oh it's just you, Applejack."

Applejack was wearing her dress from the Grand Galloping Gala, in fact everyone was, except Rarity.

Applejack stared worriedly at Twilight. "You ok, sugar-cube?"

"Yes! Fine! I'm just carrying a huge weight on my shoulders and I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO." Twilight scampered off, leaving Applejack to shrug it off and go to try the devilled eggs.

"Okay," Twilight said to herself. "Maybe she wouldn't be mad if I asked her. Maybe she needs help refreshing her memory or something!"

Suddenly, someone bumped into her. Turning, she saw it was a very goofy-looking Rainbow Dash.

"Yo, Twilight Sparkle," Rainbow Dash greeted in a slurred voice. "Do they call you Twilight Sparkle, 'cause you own all the Twilight books and your eyes sparkle?"

Twilight eyed the empty bottle of _Peppermint Clops_ in her friend's hooves. "Rainbow, are you drunk?"

"No, girl. My new boyfriendz got me this drink." Rainbow turned clumsily, and waved to Soren, a member of the Wonderbolts. "HI, HONEY!"

Soren waved back, looking just as slurred and drunk as Rainbow Dash.

Before Rainbow could turn back around, Twilight was running off to find Celestia.

**0o0o0**

"Citizens of Equestria!" Luna called in the Royal Canterlot Voice. "My sister and I are prepared, and are ready to raise the sun and the moon into the first eclipse of the century!"

Found her! Twilight hurried over to the stage where Celestia stood beside her sister. As Luna continued with her speech, Twilight whispered to the princess, "Princess Celestia! I need to ask you something!"

"Not now, Twilight," the sun princess whispered back. "I'm about to raise the sun."

"But Princess-"

"Hush!"

In a heartbeat, Celestia and Luna were flapping their large wings and going up into the sky. Everyone watched in pure awe.

Meanwhile, Applebloom looked on with Applejack.

"Wow!" Applejack cheered. "Ain't that beautiful, Applebloom?"

But Applebloom wasn't convinced. "Applejack," she whispered desperately. "We need to leave. We have to get out of here as fast as we can, NOW!"

"Why?"

"Because, in my dreams the mare was-"

"Wait, a mare? What are you talking about, Bloom?"

"We have to go NOW!"

And Applebloom could not be more correct. But she was also too late.

Celestia and Luna had just brought the very edges of the moon and the sun together, when something surged between them. With it, the thing left incredible force, that threw the princesses to the floor below them.

They recovered in a few heartbeats, but not in enough time to stop what they saw from revealing itself.

There was a tall, dark, hooded alicorn standing between the area in which the two princesses had fallen. She wore shoes that were similar to that of Princess Luna's, but they were longer and more jagged. But what Applejack noticed was that the ends of the cloak were like that of the mane of Nightmare Moon, but it was long enough that it hid her tail away. Her wings and horn were enormous, bigger than Celestia's, and her fur was a deep shade of navy blue.

Everyone gazed in horror at this pony who had enough strength to knock down both princesses, the pony who was an Alicorn. Who was she?

Suddenly, the mare threw back the hood of her magical cloak, letting her mane fly free. Then, she shook the cloak off her tail.

Her mane and tail was like that of the princesses, but it resembled wind and water as one. It looked sort of like the style of Nightmare Moon's, but it had that Celestia style to it as well.

Her blood-red eyes gazed around the room, taking in everypony's horror-filled face.

"Citizens of Equestria," she called. "Behold, your new ruler, **QUEEN AQUARIUS**!"


	7. Chapter 6

Applejack shuddered as the bloody red gaze of the nightmare-ish alicorn scanned across the room, taking in the horror-filled faces of the ponies around her. The alicorn smirked.

"Yes, my little ponies," she giggled. "Celestia is hereby incapable of ruling any further. And now, for the sake of my beloved subjects, I, Queen Aquarius, will rule in my sister's stead."

There were a few heartbeats of silence. And then there was screaming. And in the next moment the place was in havoc. Ponies were running left and right, screaming, kicking, rearing, whinnying, everything.

Applejack gritted her teeth. "Applebloom, we're getting out of-"

"APPLEJACK!"

Applejack turned, and Applebloom was being carried off by a crowd of ponies.

"APPLEBLOOM!" The two reached out to each other, when Applejack was caught up in another crowd. The very tips of their hooves touched before they were separated.

Applejack hurried off, desperately looking for her little sister, but Applebloom was nowhere to be found.

_Oh no_, Applejack thought.

Suddenly, a large, booming voice screeched out, "_**SILENCE**_!"

The alicorn who called herself Aquarius slammed her hooves down into the ground, creating a large crack in the ground. Immediately, everypony was silenced. A chill shivered up Applejack's spine when she wondered what would happen if a pony was caught under that hoof.

Aquarius seemed furious. "Do you all defy my leadership?" she seethed.

As Aquarius ranted, Applejack caught sight of Applebloom, cowering under a tablecloth from a table that had been flipped in the turmoil.

Applejack sighed with relief, and began to move towards her sister. But, unfortunately, at that very moment, Aquarius spotted the cowering filly as well, and she was much faster than Applejack.

In a heartbeat, Aquarius had planted herself down in front of Applebloom, whose eyes were as wide as saucers. Applejack stopped in her tracks, feeling her heart stop.

Aquarius towered above the little filly, her eyes narrowed in interest.

"Why, hello there, sweetheart," she greeted in her voice which literally smelled of darkness. "There's no need to be afraid of me. May you tell me your name?"

Applebloom shook her head, pulling the tablecloth farther over her head.

"Oh come on," Aquarius chuckled, horn beginning to spark with dark magic. "I won't bite… Much."

Applebloom lost it. "APPLEBLOOM!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "I'M APPLEBLOOM! THERE!"

Aquarius wasn't stunned at all by the filly's outburst. "Applebloom," she repeated. "What an enchanting little name. I'm guessing you come from a family of apple farmers, which gave you the 'apple' in your name, and you were born in the spring, when the flowers were in full bloom, also giving you the 'bloom' in your name."

Applejack almost fainted. How and why did Aquarius know about that?

Applebloom was just as stunned as her sister. "H-How…"

"Well, dear, if I'm going to rule then I need to know my subjects," Aquarius chuckled. "I think I'd like to get to know you a little better, Applebloom."

Applebloom was petrified as Aquarius's mane wrapped around her.

"Well, sweetie? I think you'd make a wonderful friend of mine."

"NO! APPLEJACK!" Applebloom screamed, tear beginning to stream down her face.

As if on cue, Applejack sprang into action. She jumped into the air, landing square between the two. Before Aquarius could react, Applejack had lashed a hoof at her. Applejack managed to graze the mare's face, but also getting her off Applebloom.

Aquarius leaped back, looking furious. "Her mother, I presume?"

"I'm her sister!" Applejack retorted. "And if you touch her again, I swear, I'll buck your eyes into your brain!"

"Oh, I don't think so, little hayseed." The voice was so taunting, so familiar, but it did not belong to Aquarius.

Applejack turned, and, lo and behold, was the unicorn who had claimed she was the most powerful in the land, who said she had conquered an Ursa Major, who disappeared from Ponyville after she had been proved wrong, Trixie.

Trixie hadn't changed a bit, aside from her cape, which was like that of Aquarius's, but still carrying the original design.

Trixie smirked. "You hit my queen, you get punished." A sharp but small dagger was pulled from under Trixie's cape, and launched at Applejack.

Before Applejack could react, Twilight sparkle jumped in front of her, wielding a shield of magic. The dagger fell helplessly to the ground, but Twilight kept her shield up.

Aquarius laughed, letting Trixie step up beside her. "Isn't she marvelous?" the Queen cooed. "I found her quite upset in the Everfree forest. And now, she's one of the highest ranked in my kingdom! Wonderful isn't it?"

Twilight sneered, and then turned to where Princess Celestia was. "Princess, do something!"

Celestia didn't do anything. For once, the princess seemed terrified. She had been sitting on the ground, her wings hanging by her sides, eyes wide with fear.

Aquarius saw her chance. "Yes, Tia," she giggled, staring triumphantly at Celestia. "DO SOMETHING! What's the matter? Still wanting some ponies to do your dirty work?"

"ENOUGH!"

The Royal Canterlot Voice boomed across the room, and all eyes were turned upon Luna, whose horn was glowing with magic.

"My sister may be incapable of fighting you," she growled. "But I can protect Equestria from you!"

Aquarius laughed. "You? Oh Luna, your head was always up in the clouds. If you couldn't even bring about nighttime eternal, then no way you can beat me."

"We shall see!" Luna boomed, charging at Aquarius.

Aquarius shot a bolt of dark magic from her horn, which Luna dodged. Luna shot an orb of magic at Aquarius, which she dodged by flying into the air. The two loaded their horns with magic, eyes glowing, mouths twisted into an angry shape, and bolted at each other.

Applejack dove over her sister just in time to brace herself from the explosion to come. When she looked back over, she gasped.

Princess Luna was lying upon the ground, horn fried, covered in bruises, cuts, and gashes.

Above her flew Queen Aquarius, laughing. "Sorry, sister, but you were asking for it," she laughed.

Landing, she called, Trixie, I believe it is time for us to make our leave. Anyone who wishes to join us is welcome."

There were a few heartbeats of silence. Then, one, two, three, ponies began to slowly come forward, and more followed them.

Applejack held Applebloom close to her, while her sister sobbed silently into her elder sister's chest.

Aquarius laughed. "Well, Tia, I'll make you a little deal," she giggled. "Surrender your kingdom in three days' time, or my subjects and I will take it by force!"

There was a flash of light, and Aquarius and her newer followers were gone. The only sound in the room was Luna's gasps for air and Applebloom's sobs.


	8. Chapter 7

"It's going to be alright, Bloom. Celestia will sort it all out."

"But you don't understand! She'll destroy everypony!"

Applejack, Twilight, a dizzy Rainbow Dash, and all the others were waiting in a little room, where they had been called in by Princess Celestia.

Applejack had been given what Granny Smith called a "comfort chair", which was basically the softest chair in the room or a chair you sit in when you're upset, in order to console Applebloom, who was distraught from her encounter with the queen. Applejack was in front of the little filly, whom was now changed out of her dress and sitting on the comfort chair, sniffling and trembling.

Fluttershy was with the other two Crusaders, trying to innocently answer Scootaloo's questions about what was wrong with Rainbow Dash, who was having a migraine at the time, and was with Rarity, who was briefly explaining what had happened while Rainbow Dash was with her "boyfriend."

Pinkie Pie was helping out Applejack, trying to make Applebloom smile. Applebloom was a little relaxed by this, but she still cowered and wrapped the blanket tightly around herself, hiding her tears in the silky fabric. And now poor Pinkie was becoming sad by this.

Twilight was leaning on a bookcase, lost in thought. She knew who Aquarius was, that was for sure, but she couldn't understand what had set back Celestia to not protect her people, forcing Luna to stand up, which ended her up in the Castle's medical wing, and in the process losing quite a few followers.

Celestia feared nothing, and was loyal to Equestria, right? Twilight sighed, and hit her head on the bookcase. What was happening?

"I know what you all are thinking."

The ponies turned towards the voice, and standing in the doorway was Princess Celestia. Her eyes were red, and a little puffy, as if she had been crying, but other than that, she looked fine. Fearless-looking, beautiful, she looked perfectly normal again. But nopony in that room believed that.

"Well," Celestia started, walking deeper into the room, stopping beside Applebloom, "I owe you all an explanation. But first, I believe Applebloom has something she wishes to tell us."

All eyes were on Applebloom, who quickly shook her head, getting where the Princess was going.

"Please," Celestia pleaded, lowering her head so that she was looking the little filly in the eye. "If you tell me, we may be able to figure everything out, innocent blood may be saved. I understand if it's painful, but if you could tell me, tell us, I'll make sure it will never happen again."

Applejack knew they were speaking of the nightmares that had racked through Applebloom's mind, that made her scream, that made her cower in fear, that had made her a shell of who she was.

At first, the dreams had been small, but had come true, nonetheless. Like Applejack inviting Applebloom to the Eclipse celebration, or Rarity constructing a special dress for the occasion.

But then, they dramatically changed. The dreams had melted from rosy goodness into hellish nightmares.

Queen Aquarius had been in every one of them, and, before Applebloom's eyes, innocents were slaughtered, people cried, and more. Famine, disease, and drought spread over them, and some ponies took on a blank, wall-eyed expression. The place was plunged into eternal night, and ponies and other creatures suffered (when asked about the creatures, Applebloom said that she could not recall them).

"There was so much, Applejack," Applebloom breathed, her tears starting to flow again. "So much…"

Applejack was utterly shocked. Her sister, who cried when Applejack cried, who always was trying to find her special talent, who excelled ahead of the class in school, and was the sweetest little thing that had ever existed, had just been exposed to some of the cruelty the world had to offer.

The farm-pony wrapped her youngest sibling into a tight hug, hoping it would save her from the pain the filly was in, but knowing it wouldn't.

Celestia stared at the two, her eyes filled with sympathy.

Leaning down to the filly, Celestia planted a kiss upon Applebloom's head, and whispered, "Thank you."

Turning to face everyone in the room, she began her tale.

"Once upon a time, there were three sisters. The youngest brought about the magical night. The middle brought about the wonderful day. And the eldest brought on the most important: Wind, sea, and plant life. Together, the three sisters brought balance to the world and to each other."

"Wait," Fluttershy said, putting two and two together. "You have an older sister?"

Celestia nodded. "It was, in fact, the Queen Aquarius we all know."

Everyone's hearts stopped, except Twilight's.

"I know," the purple unicorn replied.

"You do?" The Princess asked.

"There was a secret passageway in my room. It led to a book that held the real story."

Celestia smiled. "I should have expected no less from my star pupil."

"B-But," Sweetie Belle asked, "if things were so perfect, what happened?"

"Well," Celestia continued, "the eldest, Aquarius, was destined for the throne. She gradually began to extend her magic farther than anypony else. One of the skills she acquired was the ability to control dreams. One day, though, resentment grew in the youngest sister's heart. The ponies of the earth shunned her night, but played in her sisters' wonderful creations. This darkness went too far, and the younger sister had to be banished into the moon. I believe we all know the youngest sister as Princess Luna."

Applejack felt Applebloom cuddle closer to her. The filly was scared about what they would find out, as was the orange farm-pony.

"Anyway," Celestia went on. "Aquarius was proud of me for banishing Luna, since she knew it was hard on me, and yet I still got through it. Her support was wonderful, but it wasn't to last very long. Our subjects liked how I protected them from Nightmare Moon, but disliked how their future Queen did nothing, even though she had reasons of her own not to help. They voted me into the throne instead of her, and she wasn't happy.

"As time went on, she was eventually shunned by the public while I was showered in glory. One day, I found her crying. Something had happened, I'm not sure what, but she had completely _**snapped**_. She and I had a huge fight, and she had dashed into the Everfree forest. She didn't come out for a few days, and I was getting ready to send someone after her when… She came out."

"And she wasn't the same," Twilight said.

"No, she wasn't," Celestia murmured. "She had a full army following her, and she changed like Luna did. The look in her eyes was now full of hatred and insanity instead of love and compassion. She completely outnumbered everyone in Canterlot, and we weren't prepared at all. She stormed into the castle and demanded I give her the crown. I told her that she didn't deserve it if she was willing to slaughter her subjects to get it. We had a furious battle, and I almost lost… But I managed to use the Elements of Harmony to defeat her."

"And," Twilight said, "you banished her to the Everfree forest, and now she's come back for more."

"Precisely," Celestia replied. "She managed to get an insanely large army within about three days. I don't want to think about how big it is now."

Scootaloo spoke up. "Can't we use the Elements of Harmony?"

"We might be able to," Celestia sighed. "But I want to try and talk to her."

Applejack stared. "Are you insane, princess? She'll never agree!"

"Maybe not," The Sun-Princess replied. "But my sister is down there somewhere, and I intend to reach her. In the meantime, I'm sending you all back home."

"What?" Twilight gasped. "Princess, I-"

"Twilight," Celestia interrupted. "There will be a day when you are needed. For now, your assignment is to watch over Applebloom and your friends."

Twilight reluctantly nodded.

"Thank you, my precious student," Celestia breathed, nuzzling Twilight's cheek. "And thank you, Applebloom," she continued, moving to Applebloom. "You have suffered much. Now you may go and rest with your family." She gave another kiss upon the filly's head.

And with that, the princess departed.

Nopony knew how terrible the days ahead would be.


	9. Chapter 8

Applejack's eyes jerked open to the sound and the feel of fur rubbing against her own. Pulling up the blankets, she saw a sleeping Apple Bloom pressed against her flank. Applejack sighed. Since returning home, there had been no nightmares. Apple Bloom, however, refused to be alone at night, and was always in Applejack's bed for the past three nights. She was frightened of pretty much anything, and this was worrying Applejack.

Applejack set her gaze to her bedroom window. Outside, the sun was just peeking over the trees and taking its first look around the world before it officially rose. Nopony would be up yet. Applejack decided now was about the time to get ahead on work and think to herself a bit.

Quietly and smoothly so as not to wake Apple Bloom, Applejack slipped out on bed, snatched up her hat, and quietly made her way through the hallway, down the stairs, through her kitchen, down the porch steps and out of the house. As soon as the orange farm pony stepped outside, she smiled as the breeze zoomed through her fur, as the morning sun glistened on her fur. It felt good to be alone, to have the orchard to herself once more. Here, she felt very much at home, comforted. Taking a deep breath, Applejack trotted out to the apple orchard, and mentally recapped the events of recent.

They had been sent home immediately after the Eclipse Celebration. Twilight seemed distant, and she had rushed straight to the library and had not emerged for the three days they had been home. Apple Bloom seemed frightened. She never wanted to be alone, so she stuck close to her friends and family, especially Big Macintosh and Applejack. The filly was literally scared of her own shadow, she jumped if she stepped on a twig, but there weren't any nightmares.

Three days it had been. Applejack's back hooves connected with a tree, and apples fell into the baskets she had set up to encircle the tree. There was no news about the meeting with Aquarius, and Applejack felt like Apple Bloom knew more than she was letting on about the war. Why wasn't she talking? It just didn't make a bit of sense. Applejack was worried, and as she thought she was oblivious that she was bucking all of her feelings out into the tree. By the time she realized what was happening, the small tree had toppled over and all the apples rolled onto the ground.

"Oops," Applejack muttered.

**0o0o0**

After Applejack had 'solved' that little problem and had made her way back to the house, the farm pony sat down upon one of the chairs on the porch. She wiped some sweat from her brow and fiddled with her hat. It just didn't make sense! What did Twilight and Apple Bloom know that they were not letting on? Applejack bit her lower lip and clung to her hat. There was too much happening, way too much. A few heartbeats of silence came by before the door to the house let out a loud _creeeeaak_, and Big Macintosh and Granny smith stepped into the sunlight, both with dark, somber expressions plastered upon their faces.

Applejack put on a fake yet somewhat convincing smile.

"Applejack," Big Macintosh murmured.

"Good morning, everypony!" Applejack beamed. "I got some baskets filled to the _brim_ with apples!"

"Applejack."

"How'd ya'll sleep? I slept like a foal!"

"Applejack."

"What's for breakfast today-"

"Applejack, you've been called back to Canterlot."

Silence. That was all for several beats of nothing before Applejack replied, "What? Why?"

Big Macintosh did not meet her gaze. "Don't know. The princess says it's urgent you and your friends all come, and that includes Apple Bloom." Big Macintosh's voice was filled with worry, sadness, and remorse. Granny Smith was looking very melancholy and downcast. But yet she just stood, staring at her hooves.

Applejack grit her teeth. Her family knew what she knew. If they were called back to Canterlot so soon, something was wrong. And Applejack knew it was bad.

"Is Apple Bloom awake?" Applejack muttered to her elder brother.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh replied before trudging out to the orchard.

Applejack trudged up the porch steps and into her home. Apple Bloom was in the kitchen, drinking a small glass of milk and munching on a slice of toast.

"Hi, Applejack!" the filly said cheerfully, but timidly. Like she knew something would happen.

"Apple Bloom," Applejack said gravely, "pack your things. We've been called back to Canterlot."

**0o0o0**

Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were all equally surprised to get the same letter. Sweetie Bell, Scootaloo, Spike, and Angel were also very shocked. But all of them met the Apple sisters at the train station, said goodbye to their friends, and made their way onto the train to Canterlot. They all sat in silence in the dining car together until the train moved off.

Rarity finally spoke. "Twilight, we all know that you and Apple Bloom aren't letting on something."

Twilight spun to glare at her. "Rarity!"

"I'm not afraid to say what everypony else is thinking," said Rarity.

"She's right, you two," Applejack murmured. "What's going on?"

Apple Bloom stayed quiet. Then the filly said, "I'd prefer to say when we get to Canterlot."

Applejack sighed, exasperated, and fiddled with her hat again.

_**BOOM!**_

Everyone spun towards the noise, and saw it was just Pinkie with her party cannon.

"Let's get this party started!" The pink pony squealed.

**0o0o0**

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna."

"Good day, Twilight. And the same to all of your friends."

Spike took a great bow to both princesses, but went far too low and hit his head on the floor. Twilight chuckled at her dragon friend, and Spike mentally reprimanded her.

The ponies and the Alicorns were all inside Celestia's private study. A large window started from the ceiling and curved down to the floor below. But a large curtain was pulled over the windows so that the inhabitants would not be seen. A large bookshelf held thousands, possibly millions of books of the history of Equestria, old pony tales, spell books, potion recipes, and more.

A lush purple rug imprinted with the sun was laid across the floor. Matching pillows were laid across it, and a quill and ink bottle were placed on a small nightstand in the corner of the room, along with some paper and a tiny bottle of disappearing ink.

A large, extinguished fireplace stood adjacent to the rug, but far away enough so that there would be no unnecessary fire. Several unlit candles were placed atop the hearth along with a few books. The walls were a deep purple, and there was a desk beside the window piled high with books, papers, gems, quills and pencils.

Everyone stood to admire the room before Luna took the spotlight. "I'm sure you're all wondering why you've been so urgently called here today."

The whole group let out positive responses. Luna's expression turned from normal to very grave. Tears formed in the Night Princess's eyes, and immediately Applejack and the others knew the news would be bad.

"Aquarius disagreed," Luna breathed. "Equestria will soon be plunged into the first war in a thousand years."

Silence. Nobody moved. Nobody blinked. Nobody breathed. You could hear a pin drop in the room. Finally, Apple Bloom wailed in dismay and the others joined in.

Celestia remained silent, standing beside her sister and trying to stay strong.

"You were all called here," Celestia went on, "because you all are some of our most trusted subjects, and we need to all here to help us plan the battles and fight the battles."

Fluttershy immediately objected. "F-F-F-Fighting?! Oh no, no, no, Princess, I can't fight, I can't plan too well, I just want to go home with all my animals and be safe and-"

"Fluttershy," Princess Celestia interrupted, "you have the unique ability to communicate with animals, and we definitely need that. Dragons, cows, any animal that will help us fight is a blessing!"

"But the animals here don't even like me… Only the ones in Ponyville."

"Remember how you tamed the dragon and saved Ponyville from being bombarded with smoke forever?"

"… Yes…" Fluttershy sank to the floor.

"Trust me, Fluttershy, you'll be a star." Celestia brought the yellow Pegasus to her hooves and gave her a warm smile.

"The rest of you," Luna continued, "will most likely have no problem with the battles at hand. But," she paused, turning to Rainbow Dash, "Fluttershy will most likely stay in the safety of the castle and assist us in planning our attacks. Rainbow Dash, you need a Wing Pony."

Rainbow Dash saluted, then had a sudden realization. "Wait," the Pegasus replied, "my Wing Pony won't be Lightning Dust or some reckless joke, will it?"

Luna laughed. "No, quite the opposite as a matter of fact. Your Wing Pony will be arriving shortly."

"Good."

"Now, we will keep you all here for the time being."

"Wait a minute," Applejack hissed. "What about my family?!"

"Since Ponyville is a more minor town," Celestia answered, "the ponies of the town will remain there. But your family will most likely be moved over here if you will it to be."

"Yes," Applejack breathed. "Make it happen!"

"Of course."

"Hold on," Scootaloo stepped in, "if the enemy lives in the Everfree Forest, then don't we have them totally surrounded? I mean, the forest is in the very heart of Equestria."

Celestia thought for a moment. "That is true," she replied, "but the Everfree Forest is much larger than what you have seen. It goes on for many, many miles, and contains many creatures in both land and water. I'm not sure how many followers my sister has right now, but even if we surrounded the forest she'd probably find a way out of it. Our best bet is to pick off the important enemy officials until finally, the final battle arrives. Then, Luna and I shall fight and defeat Aquarius and permanently dispose of her."

"Others are being called in," Luna chimed in. "Such as Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. I believe the Wonderbolts are even coming."

"Really?!" Rainbow Dash squealed.

"My brother and Cadence are coming?!" Twilight beamed.

"Yes," Celestia smiled. "So are many others. Cadence is also bringing some soldiers from the Crystal Empire. However, it is only a handful so that the Empire may be protected in case the protection spell placed upon it wears off."

"Cadence has placed another protection spell? But how?" Twilight asked.

"She didn't. I did. My protection spell is able to sustain itself for a while, but unfortunately I cannot use it here. If I do, then Aquarius will never stop bothering us."

There suddenly came a knock at the door, and one of Celestia's soldiers strolled in.

"My lady," he said, "the Wing Pony you've summoned has arrived."

"Send her in," Celestia ordered.

Rainbow Dash immediately got excited. "I'm so pumped!" She squealed. "Is it a Wonderbolt? Someone from the Wonderbolt academy? Tell me!"

"No, but I think you'll like her all the same."

The door opened again, and in stepped a gray Pegasus with crossed eyes and a blond mane.

"Hi, everypony!" the Pegasus greeted warmly. Her voice was very silly, but cute all the same. "My name is Derpy Hooves! Oh, hey Rainbow Dash! I'm your new Wing Pony!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"


End file.
